Michigan Supreme Court

People of Michigan v. John Antonya Moss

June 10, 2022

Summary

The Court held that adoptive siblings who do not share a common ancestor are not related "by blood" under the Michigan third-degree criminal-sexual-conduct statute. Because the defendant's no-contest plea was based on the erroneous legal conclusion that adoption established a blood relationship, the plea lacked an adequate factual basis. The Court reversed in part and remanded for further proceedings.